The Malcontent On: Facebook Groups
Sam George wastes his time on the time wasters behind inane Facebook groups.(Visited 300 times, 1 visits today)
View ArticleThe Malcontent on: Comment boxes
Frankie Goodway deplores online comment boxes and the inane and semi-literate responses they attract. (Visited 171 times, 1 visits today)
View ArticleFacebook Fashion Frenemies?
Wiping away trails of mascara stained tears from her face, she flicks to the next photo, then the next, then the next. She reads the comments, sighs, and turns to look at herself in the mirror. So...
View ArticleWant a first? “Like” my research…
Hangover or not, every scientist at Oxford grudgingly drags their poor, shattered body out of their warm beds on a Monday for that dratted 9am – whilst our counterparts in humanities snuggle up for...
View Article#Repression: China’s manipulation of social media
The Chinese government is taking a novel stance to social media. Rather than ban it, they are manipulating it, and with surprisingly effective results. A recent scandal involving a minor party official...
View Article#Privacy: the personal, the public and the culture of oversharing
The threshold between being open and oversharing is one we spend our whole lives navigating. In nursery toilet training boasts might get you a sticker, but by Reception no one wants to hear it. Your...
View ArticleNo likes for Facebook motion
A motion at the Wadham Student Union (JCR) to have all future meetings conducted via Facebook was defeated last Sunday. The proposal, which cited the present inability of absent and injured students to...
View ArticleNo more friends, say dons
Teenagers still only communicate with a small number of people despite having hundreds of “friends” on Facebook, according to a recent Oxford study. Young people were found to operate an unconscious...
View ArticleGrowing success for Humans of Oxford
The Humans of Oxford Facebook page, launched in March, has seen great success in the first four weeks of term. The ‘Humans of’ movement was inspired by the now iconic Humans of New York blog, started...
View ArticleZuckerberg gives thumbs up for dislike button
We all have that one annoying friend that’s taken over our Facebook newsfeed with tedious updates about their uneventful life. Ever wish you could publicly demonstrate your disdain? You might actually...
View ArticleWhy I haven’t changed my profile picture for Paris
After atrocities have been committed, the sense of helplessness we feel is sometimes hard to bear, and social media platforms seem a natural way to expressing support for those affected. While I in no...
View ArticleFacebook friends of no use
An Oxford academic has discovered that your Facebook friends are unlikely to be very much use in an emergency. Professor Richard Dunbar’s research included two surveys covering more than 3300 people in...
View ArticleOxford marginalia makes national news
A Facebook group allowing Oxford students to share photos of outrageous, fascinating and witty margin notes in library books was picked up by national newspapers this week. ‘Oxford University...
View ArticleThe future of Facebook: Building global community
The inherent paradox in social media platforms such as Facebook is that they open up instantaneous communication on a global scale whilst insulating users ever more prohibitively within a social...
View ArticleWhy breaking up the tech giants won’t work
In 1984, the telecoms giant AT&T (or “The Bell Corporation”) was broken up for violating US anti-trust laws. If you have been following this topic, this is a fact that you will no doubt have read...
View Article“I’m more scared about coming off Facebook than I am of staying on it”
It’s a normal Wednesday evening and I’m eating a meal with friends. “Are you coming out tonight?” one of them asks between mouthfuls. Unable to remember if we had discussed going out that evening, I...
View ArticleThe mind behind Oxfess and Oxlove reveals all
Love it or hate it, Oxlove and Oxfess are at the heart of Oxford’s student culture. Since the creation of Oxlove in 2017, followed later that year by the creation of Oxfess, the pages have grown in...
View ArticleFacebook must clean up their act: The Final Report on fake news and social media
Yes, Facebook is back in our news feeds. The Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee has published its long awaited 111-page Final Report on disinformation and ‘fake news’, and it’s fair to say...
View ArticleThe trouble with tech: why Elizabeth Warren has the right idea
Image Description: Elizabeth Warren speaking at event. At what point does a company seem more like a country? In San Francisco in 1932, Franklin Delano Roosevelt presented his vision of America during...
View ArticlePublic data at risk: Facebook sues Rankwave for data breach
Image Description: Man running away behind the Facebook logo. Facebook is suing South Korean firm, Rankwave, accusing them of illegally using data to sell marketing and advertising. Facebook is taking...
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